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Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers
by
Lynn Compton
The national bestselling World War II memoir with a foreword by John McCain.
As part of the elite 101st Airborne paratroopers, Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton fought in critical battles of World War II as a member of Easy Company, immortalized as the Band of Brothers.
This is the true story of a real-life hero. From his years as a two-sport UCLA star who played baseball with Jac...more
As part of the elite 101st Airborne paratroopers, Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton fought in critical battles of World War II as a member of Easy Company, immortalized as the Band of Brothers.
This is the true story of a real-life hero. From his years as a two-sport UCLA star who played baseball with Jac...more
ebook, 288 pages
Published
May 6th 2008
by Berkley
(first published 2008)
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One of many books spun off by subjects of the Band of Brothers miniseries, Call of Duty traces the life of Lynn Compton from his days as a college athlete in ROTC through the War to his appointment as a judge on the California Court of Appeals. In between he served as a combat leader in Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, a policeman, detective and district attorney in Los Angeles County. As a district attorney, he prosecuted Sirhan Sirhan, the convicted assassin of Robert F. Kenned...more
Buck Compton is All-American, July 30, 2008
When i purchased this book, my impression was that it was going to be about the celebrated "Band of Brothers" ... I've read several a couple of books about Dick Winters, as well as Ambrose's "Band of Brothers". I was actually surprised how little time was spent on that period ... mainly because that part of Buck Compton's life only represented a few pixels of the much larger picture.
What is enjoyable about the book is that Compton does not put himself...more
When i purchased this book, my impression was that it was going to be about the celebrated "Band of Brothers" ... I've read several a couple of books about Dick Winters, as well as Ambrose's "Band of Brothers". I was actually surprised how little time was spent on that period ... mainly because that part of Buck Compton's life only represented a few pixels of the much larger picture.
What is enjoyable about the book is that Compton does not put himself...more
A humbler, more modest man would be hard to find. Of all the Easy Company biographies I have read, this is definitely one of my favorites, far better than that of Major Winters. Compton writes honestly and briefly of his experiences and clears up a few "inconsistencies" in other people's biographies. I couldn't put this book down.
I could only put this book down for work, sleep and showers. It's an incredible story of an incredible man who has lived much, much more than most people could ever dream of. This story is an inspiration to anyone who has been told "no". I admired Buck from what I had read from Band of Brothers, but this book made it all the clearer why this man SHOULD be admired. Buck, like all those who fought and still fight for this country, is a true hero. Not just because he was a solider, but also because...more
I'm a little obsessed with the men of the 101st Airborne, having become involved in their lives after watching the HBO series "Band of Brothers" so it's a natural for me to read this personal account from Buck Compton, a native of Southern California, and quite an interesting man outside of his experiences in the Army.
I'm also always interested in how the men and women of his generation survived and the choices they made in their lifetimes, so I view it as a record of that time of American Hist...more
I'm also always interested in how the men and women of his generation survived and the choices they made in their lifetimes, so I view it as a record of that time of American Hist...more
Great book. Compton was one of the Paratroopers in 101st Airborne Division (Easy Company) that landed on D-Day. He’s also referred to in the Band of Brothers book by Stephen Ambrose then of course the famous mini-series produced for HBO.
Compton had a very interesting life and his service in the military is only a small part of it. After WWII he became an attorney and then Chief DA for Los Angeles County. The most famous case he prosecuted as a DA was Sirhan Sirhan assignation of RFK. Compton was...more
Compton had a very interesting life and his service in the military is only a small part of it. After WWII he became an attorney and then Chief DA for Los Angeles County. The most famous case he prosecuted as a DA was Sirhan Sirhan assignation of RFK. Compton was...more
Not a bad read but not great. Buck Compton keeps saying his memories are fuzz and out of order and yet he contradicts many things that everyone else says. It makes you wonder if he really remembers the events very well. Example, according to Compton the 101st simply walked into Carentan after D-Day. Everyone else describes a terrific battle including the German commander Lt Col von der Heydte. Carentan was where Lt Col Robert Cole's actions resulted in him being awarded the Medal of Honor. How c...more
My dad gave me this book a few years ago. He received a signed copy as a gift from Buck's daughter at work one day. Just an amazing story of a guy I could relate to. His love for his country, the Army, California and Washington are all things I could relate to. His accomplishments are almost unbelievable. From being in Easy Company to the lead prosecutor on Robert Kennedy's murder trial. Great stories of what it was like in old Los Angeles too. Every Veteran should read this book as it shows th...more
This book punctuates the phrase "The Greatest Generation". Compton is candid, especially discussing the Battle of the Bulge.
His life is definitely one that deserves a memoir. He was in the movies as a child, and he talks about playing with his childhood friend Mickey Rooney on set. As a child he was thrown off the set by Charlie Chaplin. (His discussion of Chaplin provides a different perspective of the controlversial director.) He played football and baseball with Jackie Robinson at UCLA, he t...more
His life is definitely one that deserves a memoir. He was in the movies as a child, and he talks about playing with his childhood friend Mickey Rooney on set. As a child he was thrown off the set by Charlie Chaplin. (His discussion of Chaplin provides a different perspective of the controlversial director.) He played football and baseball with Jackie Robinson at UCLA, he t...more
Just finished reading Call of Duty: My Life Before, During, and After the Band of Brothers. I'm a total BOB addict. This is the life story of Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton, played by Neal McDonough in the HBO series. This is truly a heroic story your average American man who made a difference throughout his entire life as a college athlete, detective, LA DA, and finally a judge. I enjoyed this story from beginning to end... especially his final thoughts on freedom. Check it out!
As part of the elite 101st Airborne paratroopers, Lt. Lynn 'Buck' Compton fought in the critical battles of Normandy and Market Garden and in the freezing cold of Bastogne. Easy Company, immortalized as the Band of Brothers, stands today as an unparalleled icon of brotherhood and bravery under fire.
Listen to Call of Duty on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
Listen to Call of Duty on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
I was a bit disappointed.
Bought this book because of my interest in the characters behind the "BoB" figures.
Unfortunately this book spends a large part on Compton's live AFTER his army-period.
And although he made an impressive career in law-enformcement, that is not what I was interested in.
Bought this book because of my interest in the characters behind the "BoB" figures.
Unfortunately this book spends a large part on Compton's live AFTER his army-period.
And although he made an impressive career in law-enformcement, that is not what I was interested in.
The problem with this book isn't how its written because it is pretty interesting. The problem is the constant sniping by the author against fellow Americans. The book closes with a depressing jingoistic chapter that, like Heinlein's later works, you just with an editor would have excised out.
Well, this book took only one day to read. An amazing story about an amazing man. If you read or saw the HBO series, "Band of Brothers," you will enjoy this book. From his days growing up during the depression to his time as Justice of the California Appeals Court....it is a one day book.
May 13, 2008
Todd
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in WW2 or band of brothers
I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this book. Having read just about every book written on the men of Easy Company, I wanted to grab this book and plow through it. Unlike Biggest Brother or Beyond Band of Brothers, which dealt exclusively with Major Dick Winters and the men of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion 506th PIR of the 101st Airborne, Call of Duty focused more on the life of Lynn "Buck" Compton before and after the war. From his life growing up and dealing with the sudden suicide of...more
Great book. I liked that misconceptions and inaccuracies were cleared up. There was some skipping around chronilogically speaking, but keep in mind that the man was 80 some years old when he was writing this. Definitely well worth reading.
This is Buck Compton's take on the World War II "Band of Brothers" story first recorded by Stephen Ambrose. He spends quite a bit of time fleshing out his back story and the events that happened after the war. It was a neat read.
I expected more. the theme of this book was apparently Compton's reaction to Band of Brothers. The only real input was Compton's background. There are very little battle stories and unit stories. Not worth reading out of the bookstore.
Never was there a more humble man than Lynn "Buck" Compton. This book chronicles his early life up through his ROTC training and his eventual duty to the 506th 101st Airborne Division. Admittedly, I didn't read past him heading home from the war, but the book supposedly goes on to discuss his careers in law and law enforcement up through finding and marrying his wife and having two beautiful daughters. Compton's writing style is refreshing and written so that the reader can follow along easily....more
Always interesting to see how different the Easy Co soldiers accounts are from the Band of Brothers book. I enjoyed reading about Bucks life after the war and his take on the R. Kennedy killing & trial.
i love wwII histories, etc. this guy was featured in the band of brothers book/movie. i love that he went on to become a great citizen. he actually prosecuted sirhan sirhan. pretty interesting.
Very good book. Never dull for me. Life story of someone who answered the call when his country called. Glad I picked this up to read after watching Band Of Brothers.
I absolutely loved this book! Its a worth a read if you are into knowing about Buck Compton. His writing shows a lot of character and I hardly noticed the typos here and there because I was so intrigued with his story. He lived an amazing life and it was an honor to read about it.
very enjoyable. I especially like when he would clarify with the Band of Brothers series (ie, this happened, this didn't, etc.) and he had a very impressive career after war. a very interesting autobiography.
Loved it. He is a great story teller and it was like listening to your grandfather tell you a story. I didn't want to put it down.
Sep 30, 2012
Marjet Manenschijn
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
geschiedenis
Ik had verwacht dat het boek grotendeels over het leven van "Buck" Compton tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog zou gaan. Dit is niet het geval. Het gaat meer over zijn leven voor en na de TweedevWereldoorlog.
Watch band of brothers, The HBO series, then read this.
You will be impressed. Easy to read. =)
You will be impressed. Easy to read. =)
Aug 31, 2010
Doug
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biography,
history-military
Another great book from a hero from E Company 506 PIR.
A great book by a humble man!
One of the significant characters in "Band of Brothers," Buck Compton turns out to be a regular guy who answered the call to service in the military, then served as an LAPD officer, Asst DA in LA, then an Appeals Court judge. Praise for his accomplishments are deserved. The book shows that he was a regular guy who did his duty and made good choices in life. It is a very interesting counterpoint to the more heroic view we got in "Band of Brothers."
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Lynn D. "Buck" Compton is a retired California Court of Appeals judge who served as the lead prosecutor in Sirhan Sirhan's trial for the murder of Robert F. Kennedy. From 1946-1951, Compton served with the Los Angeles Police Department. During World War II, he was a commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the Unite...more
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